Split Ends
by tillyellen
Summary: When all put into permanent lockdown the colas have had enough. Escape seems the only option. However, without the SAS to look after them the colas soon realise the cost of their decision.
1. Chapter 1

Dax was stuck. Lisa was stuck. Gideon was stuck. Every single cola at the cola club was stuck. But they could tell no one. Each in there own concrete cell there was no one to talk to. No longer allowed access to their friends, family, daylight, moonlight, none of the colas were in any doubt of what was holding them there. The government was terrified of them, and to the government minister, who was replacing a comatose Chambers after a helicopter crash, even the weakest healer was a threat.  
Dax lay in his cell curled up as a fox. It made the tiny chamber seem bigger. The walls were grey and bare, bar one pitiful, twiggy branch attached to the wall in the hope he would shift to a bird to allow the government to continue monitoring his powers. Dax wasn't going to, he felt as if all his hope and spirit had been dragged out of him. He rarely moved these days, the only thing that proved he wasn't dead was the occasions when he got up for a meal. He hadn't seen his friends for a month, or his family. He wondered if his dad was trying to get to him, he wondered if his dad had even noticed. He felt terrible. Like he had the last time he had been trapped inside for a long time. The wild animal inside him had longed to get out so much he had almost died. He hoped it was happening again, death had to be better than this.  
Gideon hadn't been this angry in years. He was going to get out and see Luke and dad and Dax and Lisa and when he did he was going to teach whoever put him in the stupid cramped cell a lesson they wouldn't forget. He knew he wasn't being monitored anymore, he had long since smashed the camera and no one was brave enough to come in and fix it. He wondered what had happened to chambers, Gideon knew this wouldn't have happened if chambers had had anything to do with it. He just prayed that chambers was not dead. Every waking minute he had spent in his stuffy prison Gideon had spent getting stronger, he made good use of the set of weights left with him for him to practice his telekinetic ability on, both with his mind and his muscle, and was now fairly confident he could take on the Fenton lodge security guards, or anyone else that may get in his way. Now was the moment of truth, the moment that he'd been working for. Gideon wondered who was on the other side of the wall, he hoped it was Luke.  
He zoned in, concentrated hard and with all the mind power he could muster he burst through the wall. He heard a boy shout out in surprise but didn't look to see who it was. He had to smash the camera first. When this task was done he fell to the floor, exhausted. despite all his practice the walls were strong and it had taken a huge amount of energy to get through it. When he could lift his chin off his chest he looked around to see who's cell he was now in. Dax was now a boy, pushed up against the far wall, shaking. Contrary to Gideon, he hadn't benefited from being trapped for months. He had lost loads of weight and was pale as a ghost, although Gideon consoled himself with the knowledge that Dax would be ok as soon as he got a chance to stretch his wings or run as a fox. Dax stared back at Gideon for a few seconds, and then keeled over.  
"Dax!" Shouted Lisa suddenly, "speak to me properly! What is it?" Lisa could hear Dax's voice in her head but the words were faint and slurred so that Lisa couldn't make them out. It was infuriating her. Finally one word sliced like a dagger through her mind, clear and joyful, 'Gideon!', was the word.  
'Da-ax," hissed Lisa, "I've got a bad enough headache already from all the spirits nattering on in my brain!" But nothing came back. Lisa tried again, 'Whats wrong with you?' She asked 'Dax, are you ok?'  
More murmuring came back and Lisa made out 'tired' and 'die'.  
"Dax, no!" Shouted Lisa, desperate now, "don't give up!"  
'Gideon' slurred Dax again.  
Lisa closed her eyes and dowsed for Gideon.  
'Thats weird,' she thought, 'why is Gideon suddenly in with Dax?'  
Dax woke up from a dead faint to see Gideon's concerned green eyes peering into his own. The boy above his head let out a sigh of relief.  
"Dax! Oh god Dax, never do that again! I thought you were dead!"  
Dax groaned and rubbed his stinging elbow where he hit his funny bone. He wished he had died. Gideon seemed to see it in his eyes, "you can't give up, you'll realise that once you've had a bit of a flap about."  
Dax looked at him dully.  
"You can still, y'know, flap about, right...?" Enquired Gideon. He pulled Dax onto his feet and made him lean on his shoulder, supporting him around the waist. "Come on," he said, "I'm getting you out of here!"


	2. Chapter 2

Government minister, Captain Lance Barcil-Hodge, didn't want to be in charge of the cola club. Every morning he cursed David Chambers simply for not being there. He was high up in the army, he could fearlessly (well, mostly) face up to enemy tanks and guns. But he had never liked kids. Especially not kids who had every natural advantage over him. He had got roped into the cola club years ago and it had always been his opinion that every one of them should be locked away. Now they were, he felt his work was done and had cut himself off completely. That was his biggest mistake.  
Spook Williams was lounging on a sofa massaging his feet and watching a David Blaine magic show. He was not in a good mood after having, for the eighth time, tried to get Mia to heal the damage she had done to his feet two months previously. The blisters and burns still smarted badly and he was tempted to try and force her to help him, the only thing stopping him was her threat to torch him completely. Despite spooks best efforts she was still mad at him and he knew Mia was now far too strong, he had missed his best chance to be able to control her. It was not only his feet that had been injured, his pride also had been severely dented when she had healed the Jackson boy and then blatantly refused spook. On cue, Olu walked in, accompanied by The Collector, no, Marcus Croft. They were talking animatedly. Spook curled his lip at the teleporter and Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Where's Mia?" Asked croft, an infuriating note of laughter in his voice.  
"How should I know?" Spook replied mutinously. At that point Mia walked in holding a hairbrush, shot a glare at spook and said "right here, what was it you wanted?" Spook did his best to zone out of the conversation and concentrate on the TV but to know avail. After a couple of seconds he stood up angrily, fed up of being looked down at, and hobbled out of the room. He was _spook Williams_, what right had these people to feel superior to him? The Jackson boy in particular. He would wipe the smirk of his face!  
Gideon didn't like the look of Dax, the colour was rapidly draining from his face, and white has he was already Gideon hadn't even thought that would be possible. He looked as if he could pass out again at any moment. Gideon cursed himself for not training harder, it must have taken at least three hours for them to make their way through five cells. He wished he could find Luke, but he didn't even know which way was out. It was now he realised how unprepared he had been. The government must have already got gazillions of guards outside the many walled prison. Gideon struggled to pull himself together, knowing his best chance was to push on. He wondered who was on the other side of the next wall. He took a deep breath, and cracked it in two.  
Lisa was determined not to fill in any SCN slips for whatever government idiot had them trapped inside twenty-four seven. It was driving her almost out of her mind but she wasn't about to give in any time soon. In her mind, Slyv suddenly yelled '_coming through! Mind out the way_!' Lisa instinctively threw herself against the back wall just as the wall in front of her smashed open. The security camera in the side of the cell broke too, in a tinkle of glass. Lisa looked back at the smashed wall and saw Gideon's face, flushed with the exhaustion of three hours of solid work. Lisa suddenly noticed another face she knew well. Dax's eyes were half closed and he was so white he could have been a corpse if it wasn't for the shallow rising and falling of his chest. "Dax!" Cried Lisa, "what happened to Dax!?"  
"I don't know," said Gideon, as if taking in the full extent of Dax's condition for the first time, "it's worse than before, isn't it."  
"I think so, but he'll be fine once he gets outside, won't he?" Said Lisa hopefully.  
"yeah, one problem, I don't know which way _is_ out!" He told Lisa desperately.  
"I see your still as much of and idiot as ever Gideon!" Sneered Lisa, regaining some of her usual attitude. "I can dowse, remember? That way is the closest way out." She said pointing back the way they had come.  
Gideon swore, looking back down the tunnel he had created as a few bewildered colas peered back at him. "What, so we've been going in completely the wrong direction!" Lisa glared at him, "that's what I said, isn't it?" She said sharply, "your looking for Luke though, too, I didn't have to mind read you to know that. Anyway, your in luck, he's in that cell, right there." She pointed left and Gideon eyed the wall eagerly.  
"brilliant! He said, "hold Dax for me will you?" After shifting Dax onto Lisa's shoulder he concentrated on the wall he knew Luke was behind and smashed it in a matter of seconds. _I'm getting stronger_, he thought, _good_. Luke's dark hair dye was beginning to come out so that his hair was blonde at the roots but black on the tips, giving him an odd, retro look. Before He even knew what was happening Luke felt himself pulled into a hard embrace. Luke pulled away and looked at his twin, almost a mirror image "wow" he said slowly, Luke had been mute for years and, to the delight of his friends and his brother, had finally started to talk again, although by now sighning came more naturally to him than using his mouth. "How...? I - I tried, but the w - w - all was to h-ard" he murmured  
"it took me ages," Gideon confessed, "but it was worth it."  
"I'm not being mean or anything," Lisa cut in, "but I'd quite like to, y'know, get out. And I think Dax could do with some fresh air too, just saying."  
"yeah. yeah, of course, sorry." Said Gideon, come on, follow me and get everyone else to come too."


	3. Chapter 3

The little band of fifteen colas all crouched, stuffed into the last cell, the only wall separating them from the freedom that lay beyond. Gideon was using a spoon from Peter, a boy in his telekinesis group, the boy was supposed to be bending them with his mind so the government had picked extra tough ones. Gideon had tried several different ones and this one was holding up the best. He used his mind to spin it like a drill and was slowly getting through. He didn't bust the wall completely in case there were guards outside.  
As the colas saw their first glimpse of real, non-artificial light in a month, several of them cheered but Lisa shushed them harshly, Dax, though was silent. He could smell fresh air, taste it on his tongue, he could hear the birdsong, it was so close. For Dax it was too much to bear. Lisa felt him start to sway. "No!" She cried, "not now! We're so, so close! It doesn't matter about guards Gideon! Just get us out!" The wall splintered and fell but it was too late. Dax rolled out onto the grass, sweat pouring off him, his eyes rolled back in his head. He heard Lisa's voice, as if through water, but the terror in it was unmistakeable. "Oh god, they've killed him, I think he's having another stroke! Oh god, can you survive two strokes?" And then Gideon, calmer but still urgent, "who here's a healer? Yes, you, and you! C'mon!" And then, all in the same moment, Dax fell unconscious, and the security guards pounced.

Dax woke to the sound of Gideon shouting, "YOU CAN'T PUT US BACK IN THERE! I WON'T LET YOU! I'LL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB! I COULD! YOU KNOW I COULD! SCARED? YOU SHOULD BE! YOU KNOW WHAT I COULD DO TO YOU! AND WHAT ABOUT DAX? YOU KNOW HE'LL DIE IF YOU PUT HIM BACK IN THERE! HE MIGHT DIE ANYWAY! IF YOU JUST LET HIM DIE I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU! I WILL! EVERY ONE OF YOU! I'LL CRACK YOUR SKULLS OPEN AND PULL OUT YOUR TEETH ONE BY ONE AND THEN I'LL..." On and on. Dax zoned Gideon's gory description out and tried to concentrate on his surroundings but the moment he opened his eyes he heard cheering and Lisa pulled him up and hugged him hard, then dropped him and yanked Gideon back by his shoulder "AND THEN I'LL PULL OUT YOUR GUTS AND..." Gideon span around looking comically violent, "WHAT!?" He yelled, and then his face softened so that he looked close to crying, "oh Dax, thank god your ok! The healers have been healing non stop but for a bit I really thought you were dead!" Dax got up onto his elbow and grinned, he felt so much better with the healing and the fresh air on his face, even if it was through the bars of a cage. A cage! Why were they in a cage! Dax's grin quickly slid off his face. A cage on a truck, he noted, driven by people who were obviously trained soldiers. "What is it?" Asked a boy Dax vaguely recognised as one of the clairvoyants, "are you going to faint again?" Dax ignored him, "What... What happened?" He asked cautiously. Gideon sighed, "they got us like, literally the moment you passed out." He said quietly.  
"why aren't you blasting the sides off then?" Said Dax accusingly.  
"Give him a break mate," said one of the telekinetics "he did try but he has just knocked down a load of walls that are, like, two feet thick, and they've got guns and everything, it's not worth the risk."  
Dax felt rage build up inside of him. He knew exactly what Gideon had been feeling just a few minutes earlier. "YOU CAGED US LIKE PETS! DO YOU THINK WE'RE YOUR LITTLE PETS?" Dax spat the words out, tremors of his anger rattling through his body. "IF YOU THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE GOOD LITTLE PETS YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THOUGHT COMING!" He yelled at the soldiers  
"Shut up or we'll have to sedate you," snapped the driver but Dax wasn't fooled, he felt a thrill at the fear in the mans voice. The other colas were beginning to join in now, spurred on by the fear now radiating off the soldiers. Lisa let out a volley of sharp abuse and banged on the side of the cage. One of the soldiers sneered at her "save it for captain Barcil-hodge little girl," he said it confidently and did not seem to have as much fear as the others. The colas went silent, waiting for Lisa to react. For a few seconds she just glared, then, "little girl," she hissed, "you didn't like it so much when that girl you liked, in year ten, Abbey foster? With her long dark hair and bright hazel eyes and all those different fluffy jumpers that she loved, called you little girl, did you? Or when your brother called you a little girl because you were too scared to climb that tree, the one you fell out of, when he finally got you to go up, and broke your arm. Or the other time, when he did it again when you didn't want to help him shoplift the corner shop. You joined the SAS just to show him, didn't you? You were sure he couldn't top that, weren't you? But then he got that high flying job and that massive house, and you're the underdog again." The mans eyes began to widen in fear, his mouth was moving but he seemed to have lost the ability to form words. Lisa started to speak again, "you were overjoyed when you got a chance to come to the cola club, weren't you? Someone smaller, to bully like people have bullied you, but-"  
"Lisa, you can shut up now." Warned Gideon, but Lisa ignored him.  
"But we _won't be bullied_! You got that? Or will I have to get Gideon or Luke to smash it into your thick skull!" Lisa's menacing hiss now transformed into a full out scream. "WE WON'T BE BULLIED! SO GET YOUR COWARDLY, BULLYING BACKSIDE OUT OF HERE WHILE YOU STILL HAVE ONE!" The man made an odd sort of whimpering noise and and practically fell out if the truck. Lisa rocked back onto her heals and let out a long, shaky sigh. Dax curled his lip in disgust at the remainder of the men cowering in the cab. "I think that one of you should give me the key to this cage now," he said coldly, "and I advise you to put your guns down." The soldiers seemed unsure. Dax had expected it, they were trained fighters after all, but it was still infuriating. One man reached for the radio, "sir, sir, captain Barcil-hodge, sir!" The soldiers brow creased with worry, "he's not... contactable," he said, with the air of a condemned man. One of the men stepped forward, "I don't know about you, but I would _die_ for my country, for something that _really_ mattered, but I'm _not_ sacrificing myself for some big head who doesn't even bother to leave his radio on for us." His voice was shaking with fear but there was anger too, "besides, they're just kids, admittedly very, um, powerful kids, but they're the same age as my little girl, and they're all someone else's little girl or boy. I say they get to leave."


	4. Chapter 4

Spook was in a good mood. Olu and Marcus Croft had gone out. He didn't know where, they never seemed to include him in anything anymore. It was as if he had served his purpose and was now just a burden. Despite this, spook was still on a rare high. Mia had grown slightly less hostile towards him. (it was probably Marcus' doing but spook still liked to tell himself it was him that had finally manipulated her.) She still hadn't healed his feet, Mia wouldn't let go of the idea that what Dax, Lisa, Gideon and Luke had been through was his fault, but she was, at that moment, snuggled up with him on the sofa so he believed it would only be a matter of time. Things were looking up.

In the edge of his vision spook saw Mia look around. Spook could hear people coming into the room, but it wasn't just Olu and Marcus. He could hear at least six people. Mia jumped up to greet the newcomers. When spook finally looked round he saw Mia hugging a tired-looking Lisa. Also in the room was Gideon, weirdly built up, as if he'd been working out, Dax, looking more than a little worse for the wear, Luke, who appeared much the same, if a little pale, and of course the Jackson boy and Croft. The little party of colas looked windswept and grubby, as if they had been on a long journey. Spook pretended he hadn't seen them, and resumed reading his magazine, Genii. "Do you mind if Dax sits down somewhere? It's just he hasn't had a great time the last month." Gideon's voice still annoyed spook as much as it always had. Then came Marcus' cool, cultured speech, "yes, yes, of course, how rude of me. Just there would be fine. Olu, could I trouble you to get some refreshment for our visitors, they've come a long way." And then Lisa's voice, "we really don't have time, we've got half a dozen tired colas waiting outside and there's been trouble at the cola club, we need all the help we can get, we were kind of hoping Mia and Olu would come with us... And- and spook." At the mention of his name spook increased his attention, now he was interested. He got up an walked over to the others, trying not to limp. "What if I said no?" He asked. If they really needed his help they would have to beg for it. "Then there are other illusionists," Spat Gideon at his old foe "get over yourself." For the first time since their arrival Dax sighed and spoke, "Gid, think properly, even if he is a selfish git," on this last remark he looked pointedly at spook, "he still is the best illusionist there is and, like Lisa said, we need all the help we can get." Spook smirked at Gideon. "What's in it for me?" He asked smoothly, Dax, Gideon, Lisa, and Luke looked as if they wanted to get away as quickly as possible but he had all the time in the world. Or would have if Mia hadn't got in the way, "snap out of it spook," she cut in and the other colas gasped slightly, they still weren't used to the new Mia, spook had had to endure her for a whole two months. "You come or you don't, and I suggest you come."

Spook had thought he would never go back. Never again see the massive iron gates, the old lodge, the worn treehouse. But here he was, after only two months he was back at Fenton lodge. But it didn't look like Fenton lodge. The main building was the same (housing a good many SAS soldiers, Lisa said) but the outbuildings at the back had all been converted into what looked like a solid block of concrete, however he had been told this was the prison that still held the remaining colas. He could see the point Gideon had described, the hole ripped in the wall they had escaped through. Olu had teleported them from Marcus' house, three at a time, to various hiding places inside the grounds. Spook was inside a large dead bush with Lisa and another medium called Gemma Kelly. There were barely any soldiers patrolling the grounds as they were all out looking for the colas elsewhere. If captain Barcil-Hodge had spent any time getting to know them he would have known that they would come back for everyone else. But he hadn't, and he was going to regret it. "What now?" Whispered Gemma.

"Dax and Gideon said they would contact me telepathically when they got teleported in, I should be hearing from them any minute now." Replied Lisa. Spook opened his mouth to speak but Lisa stopped him. "No, wait." She hissed "I think I'm getting something. Yes, Dax!" _You took your time_, Lisa chided Dax in her mind.

_Sorry, _said Dax, _we were the last to be bought in and Olu couldn't find another hiding place, we've ended up just inside the hole Gideon made in the wall. Where are you?_

_Do you see the big dead bush near the treehouse?_ Lisa asked, she stared hard at the opening in the concrete block and thought she detected a flash of auburn - Dax's fox head peering round the wall - his connection with Lisa was always better in fox form.

_Yeah, I think so, _replied Dax, _your behind that?_

_No, in it,_ said Lisa, _what's the plan?_

_If we can get all the telekinetics into where we are they can help Gideon knock down the walls. Spook needs to come so he can disguise us if a soldier comes past and it would help if you came too, _Dax told her,_Olu will round everyone up and get them where they need to be. Everyone not needed where we are will go in the treehouse. No one will be alone._

_Got it,_ said Lisa, _so I just wait here for Olu to get me?_

_Yeah, great, see you._ Dax ended their conversation.


	5. Chapter 5

Joseph Hord hadn't even finished his cheese and ham toasted bagel when the bell went, now he'd have to save it till the evening. The bell signalled a shift change. He reluctantly put his bagel back in the shared fridge and jogged out the door, nodding to the man he was taking over from. _Lucky_ _beggar_, he thought. Joe was a decent guy, and not often very naive, but a tiny part of him had hoped a job title like special forces that he'd trained so hard to get would be at least a tiny bit more glamorous than guarding a bunch of kids already encased in feet of concrete. Although he wasn't complaining, the work may have been boring but the location was perfect. Joseph wished he could have been there with his girlfriend, Mailie, instead of with his squad. He pulled a photo of Mailie and him outside a nightclub out of his pocket. Mai was Hawaiian and he considered her to be very beautiful, Joe missed her like hell. In the photo Mailie was laughing, displaying her perfect, white teeth. Joseph had been planning to propose to her before he was called out for the SAS. He stared at the photo wistfully, memorising every crease in Mailie's flawless, caramel skin, every natural golden highlight in her hair, tumbling over her shoulders like melted chocolate... Joe's head snapped round. In the corner of his eye he detected a shadow among the trees, gone as soon as he saw it. Joseph's instincts were sharp as a knife, having gone through rigorous training. He didn't doubt himself for one second, he trusted his senses completely, however the shadow kept flicking, flashing on one side, then the other, as if teasing him. Joe crouched low and inched toward the shadow, only for it to disappear. He jumped slightly as it reappeared a couple of feet off the ground, in the branches of a nearby oak. His mind was screaming at him to run at the shadow, tackle it, bring it down, but his instincts told him to wait. The shadow disappeared once more, this time for longer. Joseph stared at the space where it had last been until the faintest of sounds alerted him to the presence of someone behind him. He span round and the shadow was right there, looking in the opposite direction. It was a teenage boy, with dark skin and hair done in many tiny plaits. Joe tensed his legs like coiled springs, readying himself for a struggle. But when he leapt, something he could never have been ready for happened. The boy saw him coming but it was to late. Joe secured his fingers around his throat and the boy made a strangled choking sound. Before Joseph knew what was happening, his familiar surroundings simply disappeared.

Dax was crouching in one of the cells that were still to be prepared, waiting for Olu to return. Olu was supposed to be assessing the amount of guards and whether or not the colas should try to take them out. He was in the cell with Gideon, Lisa and Peter foster, an illusionist. The others were getting edgy and nervous. "Olu'll be here any minute," Dax tried to reassure them, but he could smell the anxiety building. A moment later Dax staggered backwards as the small room suddenly got a lot more crowded. Olu had arrived, unfortunately, not alone. A young man fell forward out of thin air, releasing Olu's throat as he went. The stranger grabbed Dax's collar, forcing him to bend over, and looked up into his face. "_What_-?" He slurred, and then he collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint. The man couldn't have been more than twenty-seven or so, and had short, straight, blonde hair. He was not bad looking, with a straight nose and a good body, but his well-proportioned features were twisted with fear and confusion. After a couple of seconds in which everyone froze, shocked, something inside Gideon seemed to snap. "What were you _thinking_ Olu?" He said in an angry whisper. "Why the _hell_ did you bring him?" Olu rubbed his throat indignantly. "It's not like I meant to, he just grabbed me before I could leave." He said, trying to regain a little of the composure he'd lost, although the pink marks on his neck were already beginning to bruise. Gideon opened his mouth to reply but Lisa intervened, "cut it out!" She hissed, "he's here, and no amount of arguing will get rid of him and erase his memory. Or the security camera film that will have recorded _everything_, for that matter."

Olu had the grace to look a little sheepish and Gideon huffed quietly but didn't protest. "It doesn't matter." Dax said quietly. Lisa whirled round to look at him, "what?" She said.

"It doesn't matter." He said, louder this time. Everyone turned to look at him. "They still have no idea we're here, Olu could have taken him _anywhere_. All we've got to do is make sure he doesn't tell anyone."

"Your not saying we should..." Gasped Gideon, looking sick.

"No!" Shrieked Lisa, reading his mind, "we're not gonna kill him!"

Gideon let out a shaky laugh. "Wow," he exclaimed, I really thought you were gonna get rid of the poor guy, he's probably got kids and a wife and everything."

"No," said Dax, allowing himself a small smile, "we just need to get him far, far away, somewhere like... I dunno, Australia?"

"Australia's fine with me!" Grinned Olu, I wonder how well he'd do in the middle of a crocodile lake!"

"No, no crocodiles, like I said, we don't want to kill him." Dax said firmly, "check him in a hotel or something."

"Will do." Olu promised perkily. He grabbed the fallen mans arm, preparing to teleport out.


End file.
